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Royal Heirs

“And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.”

— Galatians 4:6-7 —

A bonding agent is defined as a substance which causes one object to adhere or stick to another object. This text, full of glory and wonder, presents the bonding agent used to seal the unbreakable adhesion existing between a believer and God. That bonding agent is none other than the Holy Spirit, sent into the heart of every believer crying, “Abba, Father.” This serves to confirm the reality of sonship within the heart of the believer. As one commentator states, “The Holy Spirit is the sign/pledge of our adoption so that by His presence in our hearts we are truly convinced that God is for us, not against us, that indeed He is our Heavenly Father.”

The Spirit’s work to reveal God in a new light, a parental light, indicates and evidences the reality that God has adopted believers by sovereign choice. In fact, in the uninterrupted process of being foreknown, predestined, called, justified, and glorified (refer to Romans 8:29-30), one will find that the most basic means to knowing whether he or she is caught up in Christ as a son or daughter is the Holy Spirit teaching one to address God as Father. Adopted sons and daughters have a new means of relating to God. He is no longer viewed as a distant cosmic force in the universe to be disregarded, nor is He an angry brute looking to consume everything that moves. The children of God understand God to be their Father in the sweetest and most intimate of ways.

Believers are invited to join in with the Holy Spirit and address God with “Abba, Father.” The terminology is used to convey existing intimacy between the children and the Father. This term is to be used to convey affection and endearment. What an invitation the sons and daughters have been given that they can come before the Creator of the Universe, Almighty God, and address Him as their Father! There is burning joy to be had for the one who savors the loveliness of his or her relationship with God made possible through Christ.

As a son or daughter, who enjoys almost frightening intimacy with God through Christ, you must understand yourself to be free. The sons and daughters are not nor will ever again be slaves to sin, death, Satan, or the elemental spirits. The prison house of sin has been destroyed. The sons and daughters live in a new reality upheld by the grace of God, which when realized prompts delight and wonder within them! The sons and daughters are wonderfully free in Christ! They are Kingdom recipients, who enjoy the promise of God made to Abraham fulfilled in His seed, Jesus Christ.

One cannot afford to sleep on this truth, for to do so will surely result in frustration and numbness. Savoring it is the means to full joy! The embrace of a loving earthly father may overwhelm a child, but this is only a semblance of what the free sons and daughters enjoy with their Heavenly Father, who has made them heirs to every blessing entitled to those who are members of the Kingdom of God. The Father of the sons and daughters is sweet and His blessing is rich. Have it and enjoy it in full as you join with the Holy Spirit and cry to Him from the heart, “Abba, Father!”

Questions to Ponder

What is the state of your relationship with God through Christ?

What challenges do you face in seeing God in such an intimate and personal way?

Prayer to Pray

“Father, we ascribe to you glory, honor, and praise for the things you have done in Christ. I know that through Christ I have been made to be your child. It is with a romantic heart that I come to you now and reflect on your goodness and grace. Thank you for making me your child and calling me your own. Help me to rest in Jesus today and find all of my joy and satisfaction in Him!”